by Bryan Davis
Twin gasps rose from below. I could almost feel their anxiety as I muscled up to the window, pulling with my arms and scrambling with my knees and feet. Finally, I managed to get my chest up to the sill, allowing me to slide the rest of the way in.
I stood and looked around. A long oval conference table surrounded by leather swivel chairs sat in the center of the dim room. A folder had been placed in front of each chair along with a pen and a glass of water. A meeting was about to start.
I dislodged the hook from the window’s interior apron and leaned out the opening. Reeling the line through my hands, I lowered the hook toward the ground and whisper-shouted to the girls. “I’ll try to open another window somewhere lower.”
When the hook touched down, I released the rope. As soon as the end snaked its way to the bottom, the back door on ground level creaked open. The girls swung their heads toward it.
The security guard stepped out. Holding the door open, he nodded at Kelly and Daryl. “May I help you ladies?”
Kelly picked up the violin and walked to him, so close she had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye. “Could you tell us where the tour group is?” She twirled her hair around a finger, giving him a sweet, innocent smile as she swung the violin case back and forth.
“Sure. The tour’s almost over, though.” He glanced at Daryl. Holding the mirror against her side, she copied Kelly’s hair-twirling act, but she looked more clumsy than innocent. “How did you two get back here?”
Kelly pointed toward the side of the building. “We walked from that way.”
The guard squinted at the ladder. “What’s that doing there?”
I pulled my head back and continued listening.
“Some guy was using it a minute ago,” Kelly replied, “but he’s gone.”
Sounds of another conversation drifted in. Opposite the window, a closed door stood near each end of the room, probably the entrances from a hallway. People would be coming in through one or both of them at any second.
I spotted a table near the door on the right. A coffee pot sat next to a tray of donuts stacked like a pyramid. The door on that side would be the entry point. Holding my breath, I quick stepped toward the other door, picking up one of the folders as I passed. Just as the entry door swung in, I quietly opened the other door and slid out.
Not bothering to look back, I strode confidently down the carpeted hall. As I imagined a dozen eyes staring at me, tingles spread across my neck, but no one called for me to stop. To the left a door led to a stairway. I pushed it open, stepped inside, and leaned against a wall. Now all I had to do was find the tour group without being noticed.
I crept down the stairs. When I reached the lower level, I opened the door leading to the hall and looked both ways. The guard was gone, probably helping the girls find the tour group. I padded along the carpeted corridor toward the observation building and found a door at the end as well as another corridor to the right. A sign on the door’s window said, Security Level A Required. A keypad hung on the wall next to the door. I tried the knob. Locked. No surprise.
Conversation buzzed from the end of the right-hand corridor, moving closer. I retreated and spotted a set of restrooms. As I hustled toward the men’s room, I kicked a crumpled foil wrapper lying on the carpet just outside the ladies’ room door. I snatched it up. A Hershey’s Kiss. And another wrapper had been wedged at the corner of the Ladies nameplate. I laid a palm on the door. Should I knock or just barge in?
Chattering noises grew. No time to decide. I jerked the door open and tiptoed into the small room, listening for the slightest sound, but it seemed to be unoccupied. I walked to the farther of two stalls and pushed the door open. Inside, my violin lay on the floor, bracing the mirror as it leaned against the wall.
Just as I stepped inside to pick them up, the restroom door swung open. I closed the stall and sat on the toilet seat.
A gruff voice called from the hallway. “Hurry up!”
Soft footsteps padded my way. In the adjacent stall, two athletic shoes came into view, white with purple trim.
I tightened my throat, trying to sound like a woman. “Francesca?”
A gasp echoed. “Who’s there?”
I shifted to my normal tone. “It’s Nathan.”
“What are you doing in the ladies’ room?”
“Looking for you and Clara.” I leaned closer to the partition. “Do you know where she is?”
“In the observatory building. Some guys locked us in a room. One of them said they’re looking for you. He’s waiting for me in the hall.”
“We can’t let him find me.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“When he takes you back to Clara, make sure he pays attention to you. I’ll be following, so you can’t let him look back.”
“Okay, but I have to go now.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right behind you.”
“No. I mean I have to go.”
Francesca’s guard rapped on the door. “I said hurry up!”
“Go ahead.”
While trickling sounds emanated from her stall, I opened the violin case, revealing a scrap of paper wedged in the strings. I folded the conference room report into a pocket inside the case’s lid, removed the scrap from the strings, and read the scribbled note. Nathan, we’ll try to get into the telescope room. Meet us near the door.
I stuffed the paper back into the case and latched it. Now to find the telescope room.
Francesca whispered, “I’m ready.”
I set a hand on the partition. “I’ll give you a head start. Remember to keep him busy.”
“Got it.” Her shoes shuffled out of the stall. After a quick splash sounded from the sink, she disappeared from sight.
I picked up the violin and mirror, hurried to the restroom exit, and pushed the door open an inch. A heavyset man walked alongside Francesca, the only two people in the hall.
Francesca suddenly crouched, holding her hands over her stomach and moaning. The guard squatted next to her. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
She moaned even louder. The guard scooped her into his arms and carried her toward the high-security door at the end of the hall.
I bolted from the restroom and marched with fast, quiet steps. When the guard reached the end of the hall, he set Francesca down, but when she let out another loud groan, he picked her up again.
I stopped within ten feet of the door and pressed myself against the wall.
The man set a thick finger over the numeric pad and punched in four digits. When the door buzzed, he pulled it open and carried Francesca inside.
I leaped for the door and jammed my foot in the gap to keep it from closing. Still using my foot, I opened the door a few inches and peeked in. The guard carried Francesca down a curved hallway and, seconds later, walked out of sight.
After squeezing in, I let the door close silently and followed. As the walls bent gradually to the right, I used Dad’s mirror to watch the area to the rear, glancing between it and the corridor ahead.
The click of a door latch sounded from somewhere in front. I turned around and walked backwards, watching the mirror again to guide my steps. When the guard appeared in the reflection, I stopped and glanced back — nothing but walls and carpet. Yet, the mirror still showed the guard as he closed a door and walked toward me.
If the mirror told the truth, he would see me in seconds.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I set the violin case down and focused on the guard in the mirror. As he drew closer, his thick biceps and thicker neck clarified. Although he wasn’t that close in reality, my hands began to shake. He would be tough to beat in a fight.
He suddenly spun an about-face and walked in the opposite direction. After a few seconds, he disappeared. The door latch sounded again, not from the mirror — for real. Clumping footsteps drew closer, but the mirror showed only empty carpet.
“Arnie! C’mere.”
The voice came from somewhere beyond th
e guard. The footsteps halted for a moment, then resumed and diminished.
Something red flashed in the mirror, like a scarlet garment whipping across the reflection and vanishing. I looked down the hall. Nothing. Had that mysterious girl in red come again?
I picked up my violin and resumed walking backwards. As I approached the door the guard had closed, nothing appeared in the reflection. I tucked the mirror under my arm and wiggled the knob gently. Locked, of course. I tapped lightly with my knuckles. “Clara? Francesca?”
“Nathan?” Clara’s breathless voice drew near. “Is that you?”
“Yes. How long have you been in there?”
“Too long.”
I wiggled the knob again. “I don’t think I can overpower the guard, so — ”
“Hush and listen. Do you see a keypad by the door?”
I looked at the wall. A digital keypad hung a few inches from the jamb. “Yeah. But I didn’t see him punch in a code.”
“Francesca says he covered it with his hand, so she couldn’t watch, but she heard the tones.”
I studied the telephone-style buttons. “Each number has a different tone? That’s not very secure.”
“The difference is minuscule, but Francesca can detect it.”
I poised my finger over the pad. “Okay. What do I push?”
“Punch zero through nine slowly. Francesca is listening.”
My heart pounding as I watched for the guard, I pressed the numbers, pausing between each one. A few seconds after I finished, Francesca called out, “Eight, four, seven, one.”
I entered the numbers. When the lock clicked, the door opened, pushed from the inside by Clara.
“Where’s Kelly?” she whispered as she and Francesca walked into the hall.
“We got separated.”
“Follow me. It’s not safe to stand around here.” Clara bustled down the hall in the direction the guard had gone and ducked into an elevator alcove. When Francesca and I caught up, Clara pressed a series of numbers into the keypad by the door. “I found this code in Dr. Gordon’s office — six, six, five, three. Memorize it.”
The door opened. All three of us squeezed into the one-man elevator car, making it bounce slightly. In order to fit, I had to keep the mirror at my side and hold the violin case in front. Francesca, wearing thick leggings and a long-sleeved, knee-length tunic, squeezed between Clara and me.
The door closed again, leaving us with only a dim glow from a low-wattage bulb in one corner of the ceiling. “Push the button for the third floor,” Clara said. “I can’t reach it.”
Unable to see any numbers on the darkened buttons, I squirmed and felt with my pinky for the third button from the bottom. As soon as I pushed it, the car jerked. Then, as the motor whined softly, we glided upward.
Clara whispered into my ear. “From the conversation I overheard, they should all be gone.”
“Who are they?”
“Mictar and his scientists.” When the car halted, she said, “Turn around.”
The three of us twisted in place, rubbing shoulders and elbows as a door on the opposite side slid open. We stepped into an enormous, dome-covered chamber. Above, shining pinpoints dotted a purplish curved ceiling, creating an evening-sky canopy that enfolded the room in twilight. A few desk lamps at workstations near the outer walls provided an adequate amount of light for exploring.
I turned back to the elevator door. Since we were on the top floor, the shaft ended at our level inside a tall closet-like room that protruded from the wall. Just above the door frame, a red numeral three shone from a matchbook-sized LED screen. “So Mictar was here? Is he part of Interfinity?”
“He’s not on their organizational chart, but from what I heard, he acts like he runs the place.” She walked toward the lighted desks where three laptop computers lay open and turned on. “I’ll tell you more in a minute. I have to figure out how the controls work before they get back.”
“And we have to find Kelly and a friend of hers named Daryl.” I walked to the center of the floor. Standing on an octagonal wooden platform, a cylindrical metal pedestal supported a huge telescope. Its wide lens pointed toward a breach in the dome — a narrow, rectangular hatch that opened to the evening sky. “I found a note from Kelly that said she would try to be near the telescope room door.”
I set the violin case down and felt the pedestal’s smooth surface. “This place reminds me of where my parents were in the mirror.”
“I noticed that as soon as I saw this room with the tour group.” Clara pointed at an area near a wooden door that had been cordoned off by a series of thick ropes that sagged between metal support poles. “We were allowed to get that close, and after one of the scientists gave a talk, they cleared us out. When Francesca and I sneaked back in, and I started snooping on one of the laptops, they caught us and threw us in the room where you found us. If Kelly’s hanging around out there, it won’t be safe for her.”
“I’ll be right back.” I hurried toward to the tourists’ area. After I stepped over one of the ropes, something shiny on the floor caught my eye. I bent low and touched two crumpled foil wrappers only inches from the door. “More Kisses?”
“Kisses?” Clara walked closer with Francesca close behind.
I picked up the foil balls and showed them to her. “Hershey Kisses wrappers.”
“So?”
I turned the door’s deadbolt. The door jerked open, and Kelly and Daryl burst through. Kelly spun back, grabbed the knob, and closed the door gently. “Whew!” she said in a hoarse whisper. “That was close!”
“How long have you two been waiting there?”
“Just a minute or so, this go ’round.” She pointed at a watch on Daryl’s wrist. “We timed the guard’s circuit. When he came by to check this door, we ducked into a janitor’s closet. Then when he left, we knelt here and stuffed a couple of candy wrappers under the door.”
“How’d you know I’d find them and figure out it was you?”
Daryl patted my cheek. “Because you’re Super Guy. And we noticed you collected your stuff at the restroom, so we knew you were clued in to our clues.”
“No more time for chitchat,” Clara said as she strode toward the computer desks.
I followed, gesturing for Kelly, Daryl and Francesca to come along. “Clara, this is Daryl, a friend of ours. She’s a computer genius, so she should be able to help.”
“Glad you’re here, Daryl.” After sliding into a desk chair, Clara scanned the laptop. “Let’s see if we can figure this thing out.”
Daryl pointed at a control icon on the screen. “That one says, Dome Mirror Magnitude. Sounds harmless.”
“Let’s try it.” Clara clicked a mouse pad button and slid her finger down the surface. The pinpoints of light on the ceiling faded away. Seconds later, an aerial image appeared, a reflection of all five of us looking up at the dome.
“It’s a huge, curved mirror,” Kelly said, tilting her head upward. “That explains why Nathan’s parents were upside down on the ceiling.”
Daryl sat in front of one of the other laptops. “I’ll see what this station can do.”
I set my mirror on the desk and leaned close to Clara’s computer. A three-dimensional rendering of the room’s telescope filled most of the display area. “Which control did you use to switch to mirror mode?”
Clara pointed at the slider bar widget on the screen. “I dragged it all the way down to the bottom.”
“Let’s turn it back on for a minute.” I moved the slider to the top. The ceiling faded to purple, a darker purple than before, and the pinpoints reappeared. I set my fingers on the keyboard. “I’ll bet we can adjust the telescope’s position by changing the coordinates in those three text boxes.”
I changed each number by a single unit. The telescope in the middle of the room hummed and shifted slightly as did the entire dome above, moving the opening in the ceiling to match the telescope’s new direction.
Clara aimed her gaze at the ceiling
again. “I’ll wager that the mirror’s showing what the telescope sees. It’s the evening sky.”
A tapping noise drew our attention to Daryl as she clicked her fingernail on the other computer’s desk. “Check this out.”
I scooted over and studied the screen, but I couldn’t make any sense out of the boxes, numbers, and words. “What am I supposed to be seeing?”
Daryl set her finger over a screen icon. “Look. Three windows labeled Earth Red, Earth Blue, and Earth Yellow. Earth Red is highlighted, so I’m guessing the mirror is showing the stars in the Earth Red world.”
She glided the mouse pointer across the screen. A line connected Earth Red and Earth Blue. When Daryl let the mouse hover over the line, a message popped up saying, “Network Active.”
I let out a low whistle. “A multi-world computer network.”
Captions under the three windows showed the date and time for each world. I glanced at my watch. Earth Red’s time matched mine, so that settled which world was ours. Earth Yellow showed December 1978, and Earth Blue showed October of this year; five days in the future.
Kelly crossed her arms as she studied the screen. “How can the computer know the date and time in the other worlds?”
“Sun, moon, and star positions.” Daryl looked at the ceiling. “If they can precisely monitor the heavens in each world, they can know exactly what time it is there.”
I bent closer. “Watch how the seconds change on Earth Blue. Sometimes they go slow, and sometimes they go fast. And on Earth Yellow, they’re going a lot faster. What’s up with that?”
“Like I told you before,” Daryl said, “the worlds are in parallel, but they aren’t anchored to each other in time. It’s sort of like three boats on a river that catch different currents. Sometimes one will go faster than the other, then it might slow down again.”
Kelly leaned in. “So it’s like Earth Yellow is trying to catch up with the others.”
